Roots

I've never had the reality of having my roots ripped out from underneathe me until four weeks ago......

For those of you who don't know, my mom had a very sudden onset of high blood pressure about 4 weeks ago. No one could explain it. It was accompanied by very traumatic headaches. After a lot of doctor's visits, ER visits, and tests they found that she had less than 60% blood flow to her L renal artery. They are calling it Renal Arterial Stenosis. They don't know for sure if it is the cause but they still have to fix it so she is scheduled for surgery tomorrow morning. Some doctors say she is a stroke waiting to happen while others give her more meds and send her home saying all is under control. It is so frustrating.

So here is my struggle. I do solemly believe that God is in control. I do believe that He has her in His capable hands no matter what. I believe He will be with her tomorrow morning. I trust Him and have peace. I thank God for my faith that has carried me through some of the days in the last four weeks. BUT....I also have fear. I have anxiety about the surgeon not knowing for sure what he will find tomorrow when they go in. I know that feeling the one does not cancel out the other but I feel like I'm cheating on God or something. I was with my mom this afternoon and the tears just started to run down my face as we embraced. I whispered to her that I trusted God but that I didn't want to be that person wanting more time. We cried a little more and then she cracked some joke about being in the clouds tomorrow morning with Jesus thanks to all the great drugs modern medicine provides. (typical Edith humor!!)

So I am left praying. Praying for God to protect and heal my mom tomorrow morning. Praying for wisdom and steady hands for the surgeon. Praying that the procedure and surgery will go as hoped for and there will be no complications. Praying that I will not lose my mind between now and tomorrow when all is said and done. But especially praying that I will rest in my Savior who is bigger than the air we breathe. My Savior who is greater than the earth that we will all one day leave. If you think about it, please pray for my mom tomorrow morning around 9:00 a.m. I appreciate the intercession on her behalf. Thanks.

Thanksgiving Blessings

Well, thanksgiving was wonderfull. It has been a long time since we've gotten to see all our family on the same day. We started the day out with a brunch at our house for my side of the family and then went to Matt and Denise's house for the afternoon and evening. We started and finished a great Disney puzzle. Unfortunately I forgot to get a picture of us four with the kiddos. (see below) Oh well. It was so great to get to be with them all.

I am thankful for so many things. My Jesus, my husband, my kids, my home, my husband's job, our love for each other, my extended family and friends, SHOPPING (which I did most of the day today), Christmas, dreams, my church family, NOT this darn cold I can't shake, running, FOOD (especially that turkey sandwich I had today), and so many more things. I would write them all but I'd never stop. God has reminded me how truely blessed I am. I'm so thankful for his mercy and grace over me.

Speaking about shopping, I did do quite a bit of it today. Got great deals and saved a lot of money. But the biggest deal by far today was at Joanne Fabrics. I went three times today and just couldn't believe the crowd. The first two times I went the wait for the fabric was 3-4 HOURS!! It was insane. But the third time was a charm tonight at 6:15. I was there about an hour and got so much great flannel and fleece fabrics. It was a steal! I spent $50 bucks and saved $128!! YIKES. WOO HOO! I am so excited. They also had a great selection of ornaments so the kids got to pick out their's for this year. What a great finish to a great day. I even got a little nap this afternoon thanks to my husband. Here's a shout out to you Greg. I couldn't have done any of it without your support and enthusiasm with the kids. I know you are out doing the rest of the grocery shopping as I type this but I love you and thank you so much.

My Girls

As we head into this week of thankfullness I am especially blessed. God has granted me friendships that I treasure. Sure half of the people in that picture are related but really we all five feel like family. You know the ones you can be totally crazy with and they still claim you. The laughter I have shared with these women will last me a lifetime. Thanks for all the smiles ladies. I pray we have a lifetime of memories together.

Old Friendships, New Generation

I love it when you run into people you knew from the "younger" days. Corey Rutelonis (sorry if the spelling is wrong) and I just reconnected after about 13 years. We were in the same youth group in high school. It turns out we both live in Puyallup now and our sons are on the same soccer team this winter. I didn't even know it until Jessica, his sister, came up to me at the fourth game. I was one of her Youth Group leaders and she is married now. YIKES!! Although most of the kids that I was a leader to are married now and have children too. For those of you who knew Corey he is doing great. He is married to Amy (who is so nice) and they have three beautiful children. His older two are about the same ages as my younger two. Jayce, seen below with Jordan, is full of energy and got two goals today at their game. Way to go Jayce.

Those days seem so far away. I wouldn't go back for anything. But I do appreciate the friendships and acquaintances that sometimes find their way back into my life. I hope that Amy and I get to plan that playdate soon.




As far as soccer goes, today was the last game and awards ceremony. Jordan had a blast again this fall. He got two goals over the season and today they won their last game 6 to 0!! Great way to end the season.

Got Joy??

It was a success. For those of you who don't know the Lord has really placed women's ministry on my heart for the last year. I had gone to our church leadership last May and asked them to support starting up some "front porch" kind of activities for women. Well, it wasn't God's timing yet and I had to accept the answer No. I prayed and asked God to give me patience and acceptance to his answer no. Four months later I received a phone call out of the blue from our women's ministry lead asking me to consider helping lead an events team to do just that. It was a yes on my end and the excitement of helping women connect to each other took on a life of its own.

So, with that, we just had our first event which was a brunch last saturday. Now although the week leading up to it was filled with attempts to ruin everything from so many different angles, God is so faithful. It couldn't have been better. Jillian Douglas, pictured below with her two daughters, did an amazing job of sharing her story. She was an inspiration to all of us. Her daughter has Neuroblastoma and the story of their last 27 months is a true testament to God's ability to carry us when we cannot function. He is there holding us even though at times we can't find him. Our lives are a testament to God's power and His strength and His love for all of us. I am challenged again to live each day trying to remember that it's about more than me. It's about more than what I see or feel or go through.

Anyway, Praise God from whom all blessings flow. Even the hidden ones!! Thankyou Jillian for giving us a glimpse of what it means to have true joy. What it means to trust in the face of the unknown. What it means to cling to our Savior.

Love It!

Well, amidst the craziness, Mikayla and I found time to get our hair cut today. We both had really been needing them so we went for it. The other two didn't necessarily enjoy sitting through it and my new neighbor (who cut our hair) thinks we are insane but we look darn cute!

Crazy November

Alright. This has been a crazy November so far. Can I get an AMEN!! Whew. What another whirlwind weekend. Two more birthday parties (we have 9 in three weeks), High School Musical 3, a concert, a mommy & Mikayla date, a soccer game, church (twice), Isabella singing in church, some opportunities to be an actress in some upcoming short stories, my first introduction to the Settlers game, and so much more. YIKES! I need a nap! Unfortunately I am on a sugar high from all the ice cream cake. Thankfully I had time tonight to really worship my God and take a moment to breathe in His life giving words. Alrighty, who's up for this week!?!

Crazy Hair Night

Well, the good news is that all the leftover halloween hair stuff was 75% off today at Fred Meyer. The bad news is that they only had orange left. So, red head Jordan just got a real orange look to his hair. Still crazy enough for him. Mikayla is pink-a-li-cious!! Isabella tried to get in on the fun but hers was just kind of all over the place and the orange didn't really take. So she just got a red look to her bangs and lots of pony tails. Still had a fun time. It's also bring a friend night and some friends will be going with us. Should be an even crazier Wednesday night than usual.

Bible Time with Baby

Isabella was so sweet tonight. We were just finishing dinner and she disappeared upstairs. About three minutes later she reappeared with a blanket, doll, and her bible in hand. She then proceeded to lay the blanket out perfectly on the couch and tuck in her baby. After that she grabbed her bible and started reading (making it up as she went along) to her baby from the bible. It warmed my heart.